Surah Al-Muminoon (23) — Ayah 18

(Ayah 18) ➊ {وَ اَنْزَلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَآءِ مَآءًۢ بِقَدَرٍ:} After mentioning the creation of the sky, He mentioned His further blessings. Water itself is a very great blessing, as He said: «{ وَ جَعَلْنَا مِنَ الْمَآءِ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ حَيٍّ }» [ الأنبیاء : ۳۰ ] “And We made from water every living thing.” In this verse, after mentioning the great blessing of sending down water, He mentioned three things about it. Thus, He said that We sent down water from the sky in a measured amount, so that humans, animals, fields, and trees could be watered. Life could remain in plains, deserts, and mountains, and the needs of seas and rivers could be fulfilled, because if more rain than this specific amount fell, the seas would overflow onto the land and destroy the cycle of life, and if less fell, humans, animals, trees, and fields could not survive. Elsewhere He said that not only water, but Allah sends down everything in a specific measure, neither more than needed nor less, as He said: «{ وَ اِنْ مِّنْ شَيْءٍ اِلَّا عِنْدَنَا خَزَآىِٕنُهٗ وَ مَا نُنَزِّلُهٗۤ اِلَّا بِقَدَرٍ مَّعْلُوْمٍ }» [ الحجر : ۲۱ ] “And there is nothing but that with Us are its treasures, and We do not send it down except in a known measure.”

In Mustadrak Hakim, there is a hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): [ مَا مِنْ عَامٍ أَمْطَرَ مِنْ عَامٍ وَلٰكِنَّ اللّٰهَ يُصَرِّفُهُ حَيْثُ يَشَاءُ ثُمَّ قَرَأَ : «{ وَ لَقَدْ صَرَّفْنٰهُ بَيْنَهُمْ لِيَذَّكَّرُوْا }» الفرقان : ۵۰ ] [ مستدرک حاکم : 403/2، ح : ۳۵۲۰۔ سلسلۃ الأحادیث الصحیحۃ : 460/5، ح : ۲۴۶۱ ] “There is no year in which the rain is more than in another year, but Allah increases or decreases the rain wherever He wills.” Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited this verse: “And indeed, We have circulated it among them so that they may take heed.”

➋ { فَاَسْكَنّٰهُ فِي الْاَرْضِ :} The second thing is that the water that descends from the sky, by Allah’s command, stays on the earth in different forms. Some of it appears in the form of springs, some is preserved underground, which people extract and use in the form of wells, as He said: «{ اَلَمْ تَرَ اَنَّ اللّٰهَ اَنْزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَسَلَكَهٗ يَنَابِيْعَ فِي الْاَرْضِ }» [الزمر : ۲۱ ] “Did you not see that Allah sent down water from the sky, then made it flow as springs in the earth?” And some water takes the form of streams and rivers, from which people fulfill their needs, drink themselves, bathe, wash clothes, give to animals to drink, irrigate fields and gardens, as He said: «{ اَنْزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَسَالَتْ اَوْدِيَةٌۢ بِقَدَرِهَا }» [ الرعد : ۱۷] “He sent down water from the sky, so many streams flowed according to their capacity.” And some of the rainwater is stored in the form of seas, which again becomes a source for rain and countless benefits and advantages for humans.

➌ {وَ اِنَّا عَلٰى ذَهَابٍۭ بِهٖ لَقٰدِرُوْنَ :} The third thing is that just as We sent down the water, We can also take it away, then who is there who can bring it back? Due to the generality of the indefinite noun in {’’ ذَهَابٍ‘‘}, it is translated as “We are able to take it away in any way.” For example, We may stop the rain, or make the water that falls dirty so that it is not fit for drinking or use, or as it is a compound of oxygen and hydrogen, by saying {’’كُنْ‘‘}, We may turn it back into gas, or take it so deep into the earth that you cannot extract it, as He said: « قُلْ اَرَءَيْتُمْ اِنْ اَصْبَحَ مَآؤُكُمْ غَوْرًا فَمَنْ يَّاْتِيْكُمْ بِمَآءٍ مَّعِيْنٍ » [ الملک : ۳۰ ] “Say, have you considered: if your water were to sink deep into the earth, then who could bring you flowing water?” Or We may make it so salty that it cannot be drunk, as He said: « اَفَرَءَيْتُمُ الْمَآءَ الَّذِيْ تَشْرَبُوْنَ (68) ءَاَنْتُمْ اَنْزَلْتُمُوْهُ مِنَ الْمُزْنِ اَمْ نَحْنُ الْمُنْزِلُوْنَ (69) لَوْ نَشَآءُ جَعَلْنٰهُ اُجَاجًا فَلَوْ لَا تَشْكُرُوْنَ » [ الواقعۃ : ۶۸ تا ۷۰ ] “Then have you considered the water that you drink? Did you bring it down from the clouds, or are We the ones who bring it down? If We willed, We could make it bitterly salty, so why are you not grateful?” Or We may remove from it the blessing that is granted to those whom We wish to grant. This verse is broader in scope than the verse (30) of Surah Al-Mulk: « قُلْ اَرَءَيْتُمْ اِنْ اَصْبَحَ مَآؤُكُمْ غَوْرًا ». The author of Ruh al-Ma’ani, after quoting eighteen reasons from “Al-Taqreeb li Tafseer al-Tahreer wal-Tanweer” of Tahir Ibn Ashur for the verse under commentary being more eloquent than the verse of Surah Al-Mulk, mentioned twelve more reasons, making them thirty in total. Those with taste may refer to it there.

18-1 That is, neither so much that it causes destruction, nor so little that it is insufficient for crops and other necessities.

18-2 That is, this arrangement was also made so that all the water does not fall at once and flow away immediately and become depleted, but We preserved it in the form of springs, canals, rivers, ponds, and wells, so that in those days when there is no rain, or in such areas where rainfall is scarce and the need for water is greater, water can be obtained from these sources.

18-3 That is, just as We, by Our grace and mercy, have made such a vast arrangement for water, likewise We are also capable of lowering the water level so much that it becomes impossible for you to obtain water.

18. And We sent down water from the sky in due measure [20], and lodged it in the earth, and surely We are able to take it away [21].

[20]
The Total Amount of Water That Allah Sent Down from the Sky:

The question is: when did Allah Almighty send down this specific amount of water? One answer is that when Allah created the earth, at that very time He sent down a specific and abundant amount of water. Such a vast quantity that it would suffice for the needs of all creatures to be born on earth until the Day of Judgment, regardless of their kind. A large portion of this abundance has turned three-fourths of the earth’s surface into oceans. Then, a significant part of this abundance went beneath the earth’s surface, as rivers of water flow beneath the ground, and much of the earth’s surface is such that if you dig, water emerges from below. Humans extract this water for their use, and sometimes springs gush forth from the earth by themselves. Then, to fulfill the needs of His creation, Allah Almighty established this system: by the heat of the sun, water vapor rises from the oceans, which, upon reaching a cold layer, takes the form of clouds and, with further cooling, begins to fall upon the earth as rain. All the vegetation of the earth is irrigated by this rainwater. Living beings also fulfill their needs from it. Then, part of this rainwater is absorbed into the ground, and the rest flows in the form of streams and rivers, eventually falling back into the oceans. And the water that creatures use also ultimately either goes into the earth as water or mixes into the air as vapor. From these explanations, the conclusion is that the amount of water Allah sent down to the earth has neither increased nor decreased. However, in this way, Allah has provided a permanent and continuous arrangement to fulfill the needs of His creation.

Refutation of Naturalism and Atheism:

The astonishing thing in this matter is that water itself is a compound made from two parts hydrogen gas and one part oxygen (H2O). Hydrogen gas is a flammable and instantly ignitable gas, and oxygen is the gas that aids in burning. Thus, from these fiery substances, Allah Almighty created something that extinguishes fire, and then, through chemical processes, it can be split back into those gases. Another astonishing thing is that hydrogen and oxygen gases are still abundantly present in the atmosphere today; if they combined by themselves at the time of the earth’s creation to form water, then why do they not combine today to increase the amount of water? For the naturalists and atheists, this is a very important point to ponder. As for us, we have a clear answer: as much water as Allah willed and as much as was in accordance with His estimation, that much was created. These gases do not have the power by themselves to combine and form water. And the second meaning of this statement is that, according to the needs of His creation, He sends down water from the sky as needed—not so much that the creatures drown and die, nor so little that they perish from famine—unless it is in the form of divine punishment.

[21] That is, He may take the underground water reserves so deep that extracting them becomes beyond human capacity, or He may make those reserves bitter and brackish so that they are no longer usable.